Definition and causes

A kolesteatom is an accumulation of dead skin cells in the ear, which may produce bone-degrading enzymes. Normally, there are mucosa and no skin in the ear (see the ears structure and function). Kolesteatomer occurs even in the context of chronic middle, which can cause respiratory in the ear drum, which subtracted hudbeklædt tissue from ear canal into the middle ear.

The skin, usually always switched off, the dead skin cells to the middle ear. Normally, the ear would be able to clean this out, but when indtræk none of the drum is large enough, cease the self-cleaning function. They reject cells pile up, and thus formed kolesteatomet.

Gradually they begin accumulated dead skin cells to release enzymes that can break down bone. This can lead to degradation of surrounding cranial bone and small øreknogler (hammer, anvil and climb arch), which leads to impaired hearing, since øreknoglerne normally contributes to the lydforstærkning taking place in the middle ear (see the ears structure and function).

Symptoms of kolesteatom

Many have no specific symptoms. The following are available:

Hearing is often reduced to varying degrees.

Smelly secretions, which runs from the ear.

Pain. This is a danger signal, suggesting acute flare-ups and thus the risk of complications. The pains can be localized to the ear but the rays are often out in temples.

Øregangspolypper, which is udposninger of the mucous membrane of the middle ear, which extends beyond the ear canal.

Complications

Bone The degradation can take place anywhere in the middle ear, and kolesteatomet can eat their way into the surrounding structures with serious complications result:

Spread of infection to the inner ear (Labyrintitis) causing dizziness and possible. total deafness.

Spread of infection to the nerve that controls facial muscles, causing paralysis of facial muscles.

Spread of infection to prevent the brain (meninges inflammation) or the brain, which at worst can lead to death.

Precautions and diagnosis

Seek medical attention immediately by pain. The doctor will, to make the diagnosis, look at the drum through a microscope, which he could see indtræk none of the ear drum and perhaps a yellowish-brown crust formation of a bug. defect in the ear drum. Hosp. seen arvæv, øregangspolypper or whitish kolesteatommasser. By flushing the ear will whitish flakes kolesteatom float on top of the rinse water. You may need to do a scan of the head to find out how much kolesteatomet is.

Treatment of kolesteatom

It is important to get treated a kolesteatom as quickly as possible to ensure that it does more damage to the ear. This is done by removing kolesteatomet by an operation which create access to the middle ear through the ear drum. It is important to clean up the ear and bring the whole kolesteatomet removed, it will recover in a short space of time. If there is already damage to parts of the ear, you can try to reconstruct the damaged parts. Finally, we must make sure to close the tr